Dejima

[Hogashi 0]

from Kyodo news:

Sumo: Former ozeki Dejima to hang up mawashi

[Peeter 15]

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstCategor...?cmenuid=6& - true? (I am not worthy...)

[Harry 67]

Sad final match then, hatakikomi loss to Toyonoshima today (I am not worthy...)

[Koldonowaka 1]

Dejima's intai

[sashimaru 10]

Goodbye Dejima (I am not worthy...)

[Jejima 1,346]

(I am not worthy...)

Farewell indeed Dejima - he was my first 'favourite' when I started watching sumo properly.

I watched him come into Makunouchi and shoot up the ranks. I remember his yusho and his Ozeki promotion. I remember his injuries and his demotion.

;-)

For me, I'll remember best his 'shinkansen-sumo' from his early days. When he was on fire, it was very difficult for his opponents to stop him from steam-rolling them out of the dohyo.

(Applauding...)

[Kintamayama 44,646]

[Zenjimoto 40]

He managed to hang around admirably for a long time, given the intense difficulty he had with his chronic leg condition. I never saw him in his prime, as that was still before I started watching ozumo, but it's always sad to see a former Ozeki hang it up.

Encountering him in Las Vegas, I was struck by the "manliness" of his voice, and his demeanor, which reminded my a bit of an actor in a samurai movie. (Eating...)

Happy retirement! (Danpatsu-shiki...)

Edited July 22, 2009 by Zenjimoto

[Pippooshu 1]

I'm really, really sad for this Intai! I'm a Dejima support from much time! I've sent a mail some years ago to the Musashigawa-Beya for him! With his "bean" body and his aggressive Tachi-Ai, like a japanese missile...what an incredible rikishi! And he has been an old Ozeki!..

...bye bye, my hero (Danpatsu-shiki...)

Edited July 22, 2009 by Pippooshu

[Gusoyama 98]

My only day seeing sumo live was Nagoya 1998 day 10, and Dejima beat Akebono in the musubi no ichiban, and I have been a fan ever since. He will be missed.

edit: brain refused to type 1990's date.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Gusoyama

[ilovesumo 12]

Sad indeed........ (Danpatsu-shiki...)

Musashigawa needs some more new Sekitori desu ne.

I hope very much they will help his leg now to get better...ever seen it close? So scary...

[Zenjimoto 40]

Encountering him in Las Vegas, I was struck by the "manliness" of his voice, and his demeanor,

...but not of his handbag I take it?

No, because many of the rikishi in the Casino were using similar ones, so that wasn't anything unusual. (Danpatsu-shiki...)

[Asashosakari 18,968]

No, because many of the rikishi in the Casino were using similar ones, so that wasn't anything unusual. :-)

Not much different than pro-wrestlers still carrying around fanny-packs long after they stopped being cool, I guess. General societal norms and attitudes just don't apply to closed subcultures that have unusual day-to-day needs.

I'm pretty much in Zenjimoto's situation - Dejima's really big days were firmly in my "extremely casual fan only" phase, so I've never quite developed the appreciation of what a stud rikishi he must have been in his prime. He did last much, much longer than I'd ever thought possible - if you'd posed the question of Dejima's retirement date back in 2004 and somebody had said "2009", I would have considered them out of their freakin' mind. So, kudos for hanging in there with that bevy of injuries, big guy...just another sign of how good you really were at one time.

[Fujisan 532]

Goodbye to one of the best wolfpackers..... :-)

[Takanorappa 88]

I'm going to miss the guy. :-) I remember him when he was one of those "Young Turks" that SW kept talking about. Lots of power when he was young, but those technicolor legs got the better of him.

(and I thought his purse was manlier than many, though I didn't see if he had a new one in L.A.)

BTW - I could've sworn we had a Dejima emoticon at some point.

[Kofuji 0]

The only basho I was at, Aki 1998, Dejima did the freight train on Yokozuna Akebono and I basically blinked and missed most of it. It was a bout I was looking forward to seeing and it was over almost before it had begun.

[Kimyouzan 2]

Sad news! I also missed him in his heyday, but always appreciated him for his gaman after I read about his career. Good thing I got a picture with him in Ise this year!

[kaiguma 0]

Sad indeed........ (Jumping in ecstasy...)

Musashigawa needs some more new Sekitori desu ne.

I hope very much they will help his leg now to get better...ever seen it close? So scary...

How about Shotenro? He looks to be around for awhile and can even flirt with Sanyaku or settle in at Sekiwake provided XYZ, etc.

[brewdude 0]

asad farewell to Dejima the Degyptian. In his later years he was so wrapped up he looked like a mummy. My Sumo pool was amazed that he could continue to fight so hard for so long. Yet another of the mainstays from my early sumo watching days gone.

[HenryK 38]

asad farewell to Dejima the Degyptian. In his later years he was so wrapped up he looked like a mummy. My Sumo pool was amazed that he could continue to fight so hard for so long. Yet another of the mainstays from my early sumo watching days gone.

As I wrote elswhere, I would have liked to see him win a basho in Juryo and come back in full strenght to Makuuchi, especially as his recent poor form owed apparently much to an ellbow injury. I also don't see how it would be a "shame" for a former Ozeki to perform in Juryo -- if anything I find it more shameful to be pushed out of the sport by circumstances rather determinig yourself when you are ready to go. But this is of course all about sumo etiquette and cultural specifics.

[Jonosuke 28]

I have so many memories of watching him live and on TV while he was at his best. Without those ankle injuries he would have stayed in ozeki longer. In his early days I always looked forward to his bout against Tochinonada, his rival from college days and also from the same prefecture. Tochinonada is still around perhaps not in his former glory but oshi-zumo takes so much tolls on the rikishi, it's rare that they survive too long in high ranks with a good exception of Taikai.

I guess in many ways he proved he remained stubbornly Gachinko to the very end as well as keeping his real name. He sure was no back scratching ozeki from the very beginning.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Jonosuke

[Jakusotsu 5,874]

As I wrote elswhere, I would have liked to see him win a basho in Juryo and come back in full strenght to Makuuchi, especially as his recent poor form owed apparently much to an ellbow injury. I also don't see how it would be a "shame" for a former Ozeki to perform in Juryo -- if anything I find it more shameful to be pushed out of the sport by circumstances rather determinig yourself when you are ready to go. But this is of course all about sumo etiquette and cultural specifics.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but a Juryo yusho? No way! Dejima is 35 years old and hampered by chronic injuries for most of his active career. Another MK in Juryo was on the horizon, and he did the right thing to strike sail with as much grace as possible. Nothing to be gained by dragging on forever.

[shumitto 418]

Nothing to be gained by dragging on forever.

Say it louder so that more people can hear it. :-(

[Asashosakari 18,968]

As I wrote elswhere, I would have liked to see him win a basho in Juryo and come back in full strenght to Makuuchi, especially as his recent poor form owed apparently much to an ellbow injury. I also don't see how it would be a "shame" for a former Ozeki to perform in Juryo -- if anything I find it more shameful to be pushed out of the sport by circumstances rather determinig yourself when you are ready to go. But this is of course all about sumo etiquette and cultural specifics.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but a Juryo yusho? No way! Dejima is 35 years old and hampered by chronic injuries for most of his active career. Another MK in Juryo was on the horizon, and he did the right thing to strike sail with as much grace as possible. Nothing to be gained by dragging on forever.

Strong emphasis on "chronic". I agree that this just isn't comparable to Wakanosato's "I broke my foot but I was already starting practice again right before I decided to take the 0-0-15 drop to protect my long-term viability". (BTW, wish more rikishi had his sensible outlook.) And Dejima's elbow injury dates back all the way to January; this isn't a thing that could have been expected to get magically better with yet another two months of time.

And of course, IMO most juryo opponents would have felt no compunctions about henka'ing the crap out of him all basho long, unlike perhaps some of his long-time makuuchi foes.

[shumitto 418]

And Dejima's elbow injury dates back all the way to January; this isn't a thing that could have been expected to get magically better with yet another two months of time.

It will anytime soon (or not so soon) ameliorate like Toyonoshima's left elbow (hopefully) but how long it would take; 2,3 or 10 months... a question mark hangs over it...

Anyway, the retirement was the right choice. He has given so much to sumo that now his struggling body more than deserves some rest; and behind the scenes he can help his heya raise some strong-willed sekitori.